Altered Ending
by kazuko59
Summary: AU. In the last episode, Kokusho Akira shot Yumeto first before getting shot. But what if that one fatal bullet had got her first before her finger jerked, firing the gun, when the gun was off target and Ainosuke stood right between the two crime planner?
1. A Crack in Plan

k59 : I rewrote this chapter but didn't delete the previous one... it will be nice if someone tell me which one is better... and may be i'll post the second chapter these few days since i'm halfway-done with the third...

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Chapter 1 – 'A Crack in the Plan'

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"Sayonara"

Yumeto only smiled upon hearing that farewell word. This arrogant woman was really clueless that the only one who would die if she pulled the trigger was herself. Of course, Kokusho Akira and himself would follow only seconds later. Everything had gone according to his plan. His final, complicated plan. This was for the best. This way, no one would threaten his brother's life anymore.

His brother. His adorable, naïve, cute little brother. His most precious person, who was now standing only a few meters away from him.

How badly he wanted to hug him tightly, whispering reassuring words that everything would be alright. That there was nothing to be worried about or to be afraid of. That he had everything under control. And…

And that he loved him so much…. For he was the only family he had left.

But Yumeto knew better than anyone else that he could not do that. No, to be exact, he must not do that. Or everything would be ruined. He had planned that Yoshida would be here, to get Ainosuke out of this dangerous situation. But then again, thanks to Noriko, this was no longer an option. It was such a shame, because he had kind of wished that the old man could continue to take care of Ainosuke. Still, at least he knew two other people who would without doubt gladly take Ainosuke under their wings.

Knowing all these, he could at least die in peace, right?

A loud explosion was heard and the next thing he saw was Noriko lying soulless on the cold floor. Yumeto took this chance to take out the real gun from his back pocket and shot the other crime planner while she was distracted. At the same time, bracing himself for the pain to come.

Yet, the expected pain never came to him. Guess not everything went according to his plan after all. He heard the gunshot when Kokusho fired at him. But it seemed that her final action had been in vain. Here he was, standing in a perfect shape, while she now shared the same fate as the betrayer.

Yumeto chuckled at his own silliness. This was a trivial matter. He needed to proceed with his plan and got his domino pieces to fall to their places. He could think of how he would die later. If he was lucky, maybe he would even get a chance to say his goodbye properly.

He turned his attention to his younger brother, who had his back facing him. The kid seemed to be in shock. Well, which junior high student wouldn't if two people had just died in front of his face? Last time, Ainosuke had practically broke down when he found out that detective Fukuchi had passed away in an explosion, blaming himself for it. Yumeto sighed quietly before showing his usual mocking smirk.

"What's the matter Ainosuke? Are you chickening out just because of this?"

The called lad turned around and Yumeto's smirk once again replaced by a frown. Ainosuke did not glare at him like he usually did every time he did not approve of what his big brother was doing. Instead, a devastated expression plastered on his face. Yet another unexpected occurrence his plan.

His eyes then moved slowly to examine his younger brother. Ainosuke's unusually paler face. His scared expression. His left hand, which was clutching his abdomen with a red liquid trickling down from it–

'No'

The gun escaped his hand and hit the concrete with a loud thud in that silent room. But Yumeto's attention was now fully and solely focused on his little brother, as what really happened dawned on him. For whatever reason he did not understand, fate had spared his life even when he offered it away. And for an ever harder to understand reason, it made Ainosuke its target instead.

He averted his gaze back to his younger brother's face and a pair of shocked eyes met a rather teary one. Yumeto tried to move his legs, but they now felt like they were made of lead.

"Aniki…"

Ainosuke's voice was weak and pleading, as if he was calling for help he did not dare to hope would really come. And as soon as the endearment left his mouth, he collapsed to the floor.

Yumeto was literally frozen on the spot out of shock, before quickly advancing to his younger brother. He knelt next to the kid and lifted him onto his laps, holding the small, trembling body close to his own. Given the situation, he was terrified.

There were not many things that could make him scared. Left alone terrified. He didn't when he had to kill Ikeuchi Tomoya to save his brother. He didn't when he and Ainosuke had to live alone, without much money to support themselves. He didn't when he made the decision to join in the crime world for the sake of reaching his goal. And he definitely didn't when he carried out his plan with the risk of getting caught, or even his life as a bet. But he could not deny, though he rarely showed it openly, that his heart would pound heavily and fear successfully got him by the throat, every time Ainosuke was in danger.

And now Ainosuke was practically dying in his arms. The thought made him hugged his little brother tighter in a protective manner.

This was not what he had planned to happen. It was him who was supposed to be dying right now. This plan of his was created for Ainosuke's sake, just as everything else that he did. But the opposite happened. He had failed.

"Nii… chan…"

The soft voice brought him back to reality. He could feel a rather small hand clutching the front of his shirt. Realising who that hand belonged to, he relaxed hid hug a bit, enough for him to get a good look of his little brother. But Ainosuke seemed to have misinterpreted his action and refused to let go. Instead, his grip tightened and and he kept on calling for his older brother. It was as if he was afraid that Yumeto would leave him if he ever let go. Yumeto's heart clenched painfully as he understood his brother's trauma and he gave up on what he was trying to do. He wrapped his arms around his little brother and held him closer. So close that Ainosuke's face was only a few centimeters apart from his own as the kid snuggled on him.

"It's okay, Ainosuke. Everything is going to be alright. I won't leave you. Not anymore. You'll be fine. I promise."

His words seemed to calm Ainosuke down a bit, though it did nothing to stop his trembling. Yumeto's mind was numb with worry and desperation. He couldn't think straight and did nothing but just kept holding his brother, favoring each second that passed by. Only when suddenly the grip on his shirt loosened and the hand dropped just seconds before he felt Ainosuke's body went completely limp in his arms, did he snap out of his trance.

He looked down immediately. To his alarm, his younger brother's face was deathly pale and his breath was quick and shallow. His face looked like it had been drained of every colour. Yumeto made his decision and planted a small, quick kiss on his little brother's forehead, breathing in the familiar scent.

"I'm not going to let you die."

And with that, he lifted Ainosuke up. All his crime plans had been forgotten. All he care about was his little brother in his arms, struggling between life and death. Wind whistled in his ears as he rushed for his car. Carefully and gently, he laid his little brother down the back seat and fastened the seat belt. Then he dashed for the driver's seat before setting off to the nearest hospital.


	2. Waiting in Darkness

k59 : i already had the storyline in my mind... now, i just have to find the time to type it down i guess... thx for reading... i really appreciate that^^~

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Chapter 2 – 'Waiting in Darkness'

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Sayama Hitomi tapped the steering wheel of her car impatiently. A certain pupil of hers was supposed to turn up about 2 hours ago. Yet, she had not seen or heard anything from him until this very second. She had tried calling his cell phone, but he never picked it up and she was only answered by the mailbox. In her desperation of wanting to know what had happened, she called the other person who knew how serious the situation was. Especially for the young boy…

A knock from the window of passenger seat at her left was heard. She turned her gaze and was greeted with a sheepish smile from the detective. She unlocked the door to let him in and a soft gasp escaped her mouth.

"What happened to your arm?"

Kato glanced down at the sling and shrugged, "Miyamoto has quite a good aim. Though, with that voice record, there's just no way he'll get away. He's under arrest now. So, any updates?"

The school nurse shook her head sadly before checking her cell phone again. She let out a quiet sigh when no message was coming.

"I'm really worried. I don't know what happened to him and he's out of reach. You know how reckless Ainosuke can be, Kato-san. Last time he jumped off the roof!"

"He won't this time," Kato answered, though he sounded as if he was reassuring himself instead of her.

There was silence lingering between them as both their minds were preoccupied with the exact same thought concerning the junior high student. That was until Kato noticed the silver-colored bag between the front seats.

"What's this?" he pointed at the object.

Sayama's gaze followed the detective's before answering, "Oh, that! Ainosuke asked me to get that. Inside is liquid oxygen, just in case he couldn't stop his brother. He managed to find out how to deactivate the last bomb from his apartment's landlord."

Kato frowned, "He did? So, when you called to inform us about the murder, you heard it from Ainosuke-kun?" Sayama nodded at his question as another thought formed at his thought, "Wait a minute! Does that mean the murder took place right in front of his eyes?" His eyes widened in terror.

Again, she nodded grimly, "He was still shaking all over when he told me. It's just too much for him, I think. He told me to run, but I just don't have the heart to leave him in such situation alone. He went after his brother some minute later and that's the last time I saw him."

Kato leaned back on his seat to find a more comfortable position, "All of this seems really surreal to me. Ainosuke's older brother is really still alive and that person turns up to be Sakisaka, whose real name is Tanaka Yumeto. Then, this person is the brain behind all the crimes these last three months. What next? Seriously."

The school nurse smiled softly, "Who knows? But Ainosuke is full of surprises, believe me. So we just have to prepare ourselves, right?"

The police officer chuckled, "I can say the same to his brother. You may think I'm insane for saying this, but mark my words, Yumeto-san is actually really fond of Ainosuke. I could sense it when he's working with me. There was just simply no day that would pass without a single praise for that kid left his mouth. Hearing that record was like finding a hidden side of him."

Sayama's smiled widened slightly at that as her mind wandered back at when she first met 'Sakisaka'/ He appeared to be a kind police officer who always had a smile decorating his face. She thought nothing more of him than just a capable policeman who was doing his job to his best ability.

To be honest, her impression of Tanaka Yumeto had been almost the same. Though she had never met him in person, she could tell that he was a really kind person. For Ainosuke had worked so hard to get to the truth and avenge him. And also, because Ainosuke himself was a kind – though sometimes could be a very irritating – person. With no parents he could look up to, the only possible role model for him was his older brother.

But then, there was the cold and distant side of him. She could still hear how relaxed he was when he spoke about the murder. As if he actually enjoyed doing it and that it was all just a mere game. In which human's life was nothing important and could be dispose of when not needed. Detective Fukuchi had been one of the victims and it was all just for the sake of showing his brother that he would kept his words.

These two opposite sides of Tanaka Yumeto… Which was his true self?

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a tune. She blinked and turned to her left, where Kato was struggling with left hand to get his cell phone.

"Yes, Kato here… You!"

Sayama was surprised at the tone the man was using. The person himself looked bewildered, but kept listening to what the person on the other line had to say. He glanced sideways to her once before averting his eyes away. The frowns on his forehead grew deeper and deeper by each second. Then suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What? What do you mean by– Oi! Wait a –!"

Kato cursed quietly as he put his phone away from his ear. He looked frantic and seemed to be unaware of his surroundings. He was muttering something under his breath the whole time.

"Kato-san? What happened? Who was that?"

The called person turned to her and she could see that he had come to a decision.

"Sayama-sensei, could you please get us both to the park near Tokyo General Hospital? We have an appointment we need to attend there."

The nurse was confused, "Eh? But, what about Ainosuke? What if come here and find no one?"

"He won't," the detective answered shortly, earning him a frown for Sayama. "I had the feeling this person we are going to meet have the answer as to what happened to Ainosuke-kun."

"This person?" Sayama did not understand a thing he was saying.

Kato nodded grimly and sighed, before relpying her question in a low tone, "Ainosuke-kun's older brother. Tanaka Yumeto-san."


	3. Forced Farewell

k59: I was doing my best not to make this chapter too short... but it ended up become too long... and i cannot find some parts of it to be cut... so, well, here it is... i hope i don't make you bored..

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RyosukeYamada012 : thx very much for your review^^~ it means so much for me... i have a week break from now, so may be i can write and post some chapters these few days before going back to exam... yes, i kind of hope people will write more fics for this drama... hai, ganbarimasu^^! ~p.s. I'm also a fan of Ryo-chan^^~

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Chapter 3 – 'Forced Farewell'

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A 100 yen coin was pushed into the vending machine in that dimly lighted park, followed by a 20 yen coin. A slender finger moved to press the button for canned coffee. The owner of the finger waited patiently and, after a 'click' sound, bent down for his drink. He sighed as he opened the can, just before a light shone in his direction and he had to cover his eyes.

Tanaka Yumeto turned to his left in time to see a blue made in France car called 'Lupin' made its way into the park. It settled a few meters away from the vending machine and two people figures came out from it. Yumeto smiled at their familiar faces as they walked to where he was standing, though both did not return his gesture. Ignoring that, he drank his coffee and checked his watch.

"You're fast. It's not even 30 minutes since I called you."

He had never seen Kato as serious as this before, though Sayama looked rather nervous and kept glancing around. She seemed to be looking for something that's missing.

'Or someone," Yumeto thought sadly.

"Anyone would immediately rush if they received such phone call, Yumeto-san."

Yumeto raised an eyebrow at the use of his real name. The detective made it sound like they were friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. Moreover, Sayama did not look alarmed either by that. She had given up the search of any other person in the park and was currently staring at him curiously. He felt like he was being examined. He did his best to look undisturbed and flashed them a smile.

"Guess we can skip the introduction then, and yes, Kato-san, I was planning to tell you both about it. It is kind of necessary for what I was about to tell you two. So, did Ainosuke the one who tell you about that?"

Sayama said yes, while Kato replied with no. They both turned to look at each other before Kato gestured to the nurse to explain. She shrugged and took a deep breath before doing so.

"Remember that time Ainosuke grabbed you and jumped off the roof?"

Yumeto nodded silently. How could he ever forget that? He was panic that time. Not because the possibility that his crime plan would be ruined. Not because he might not be able to see his domino pieces to fall if he didn't survive the fall. It was just simply because Ainosuke had fallen with him. Afterwards, he couldn't help but feeling grateful for Noriko for saving both their lives.

"Well," Sayama's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I kind of guess you were the culprit behind these crimes since Ainosuke called you 'brother'. But I thought that you're his brother's acquaintance instead of really his brother. Then, he just poured everything out to me after I pushed him a bit. And yesterday, Kokusho Akira-san called and told me to ask Kato-san to put a recorder in her cell. So, we know everything you guys were talking about. That's how."

Yumeto snorted a laugh. That woman earned the title of crime planner not for no reason after all. But seriously, what did she wish to achieve by giving that instruction? Aside from sending Miyamoto to jail, it did her no good for her revenge on him. Her intention was to kill him. Giving his real identity away to the police would make no difference if in the end he was still dead. It's not like the police will charged a dead person. Was it her back up plan then? Or could it be that… she wanted to prove to the police that Ainosuke was really innocent and had nothing to do with the crimes?

Without realizing it, his lips formed a genuine smile.

'Seriously, Ainosuke, what sort of magic do you posses? No one seems to be able to hate you. Not the heartless Kokusho Akira. And definitely not Yoshida. Even Noriko, in the end, chose to kill me instead of getting rid of you like she had planned to do. You truly are amazing, you know that?'

"So, Yumeto-san," Kato was the one who interrupted his thought this time. "Care to explain what you meant by saying that being with you will kill Ainosuke-kun?"

Sayama's eyes widened as she quickly turned her head to the detective, looking thoroughly alarmed. The person himself did not give any sign that he noticed this and kept his gaze on Yumeto intently. Yumeto, on the other hand, were frowning at her reaction.

"You didn't explain to her the situation?"

Kato cocked his eyebrow, "What you did tell me hardly explain anything, Yumeto-san. And with her on the driver seat, I rather keep her calm or the ride here would have given me a heart attack."

"Hey! I'm not that reckless!" Sayama protested, but then caught the stared she got from the two and blushed lightly. "Okay, maybe sometime I am. Still, you should have told me, Kato-san."

"I still value my life, thank you."

The nurse rubbed her temple in annoyance as the man smirked at her direction. Yumeto watched the scene in front of him silently, clearly amused.

'I think I made the right decision trusting Ainosuke to them.'

"Never mind that," she sighed, "Now, if you please, continue with your explanation. What got into your mind when you said that? As far as I remember, you have never shown any tendency or intention to kill your brother. Actually, it was Ainosuke who did try to kill both of you, once, due to depression. Kato-san here even told me that your attitudes showed your fondness to Ainosuke."

Yumeto looked at his ex-partner questioningly and earned a shrug in return.

"It's really not that hard to see when you kept on blabbering about your brother the whole day. But, isn't your statement too exaggerated? I can't entirely disagree with that, yes, knowing all the truth about how you treated him these past few months. Even so, until now, Ainosuke-kun has not been seriously injured, not even during Blue Heaven concert. And somehow, I got the feeling that you play quite a part in this."

Yumeto couldn't help but smile sincerely at both for their observation, "That was really nice of you two. But for your information, I really meant what I said the way it sounded. It was not an expression and I was not exaggerating. Ainosuke really did come real close to death tonight and it was entirely my fault."

Both of them widened their eyes in horror and were lost for word because of the shocking information. Yumeto's expression, ironically, was just as calm as ever. He waited patiently for the two to recover and took a sip from his canned coffee.

"What did you do to him?" Finally a harsh toned question came from Sayama.

Yumeto took another sip before answering, looking as casual as ever, though his eyes showed otherwise, "To be frank with you, I was planning to leave him tonight." 'There's not need to tell them about my suicide plan.' "But something went wrong and Ainosuke ended up caught in the middle of my confrontation with Kokusho and of the bullet got him."

Sayam gasped and covered her mouth her hands.

"So, where is he now? Don't tell me you still go with your stupid plan and left him there to die!" Kato almost yelled.

For the first time ever since they met, Yumeto looked furious.

"If there's one thing I'd never do in my whole life, Kato-san," his voice was dangerously low, "is to let Ainosuke die. As long as this heart still beats and blood still runs through my veins, I swear I'm not going to let anyone, absolutely _anyone_, to threaten his life, ever!"

He glared to the other two, who were caught truly off guard by his sudden burst of emotion. There was silence in that park, aside from the sound of wind and distant noises of car engines for a few seconds. Then all of a sudden, the crime planner sighed. He ran his hand through hair and looked down, only to find that the canned coffee was dented here and there. He must have unconsciously clenched his fist earlier when he lost his temper. Again he sighed and walked away to throw the now almost crushed can into the dustbin, before wiping his coffee stained hand with handkerchief. He turned his attention to the others and, yet again, sighed as he saw they were staring at him, dumbfounded.

"Sorry. I wasn't coming here to snap at you like that. If it's okay with you, shall we proceed with our real intention of getting here?"

"Oh, right! Right! Let's get down to the business. So, what are you calling us here for?" Kato stuttered a bit.

Yumeto reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. He handed it to Kato, who raised his eyebrow questioningly upon taking it. The detective opened the note and read it silently, frowning the whole time. Sayama, meanwhile, had finally recovered and was currently peeking through Kato's shoulder. Both showed similar confused face.

"That's the address of my, uhm, kind of like what you called hideout," Yumeto said, ignoring the stared he got. "You'll find Kokusho Akira and Noriko's corpses there, along with some important information about the organization I was in. I don't recall locking my computer, so you won't find any difficulties in accessing the datas."

Kato cleared his throat, "So basically, you're turning yourself in?"

Yumeto shook his head, "I've told you before, I'm leaving. Seeing that Ainosuke is in no condition to help you out with this for a while, I decided to give you some clues. I doubt you'll ever find something to actually use it against me anyway, so I don't see the problem of doing so."

"Hold on," Sayama held out her hands, gesturing him to be quiet. "Go back. Where is Ainosuke now exactly? How is he doing? How can you be so calm about that? Didn't you say he's dying? He's your little brother, isn't he?"

It took all Yumeto's will power to not sigh right there and then, "Okay, fine. First, he's in that hospital next to this park right now. Second, he's doing a lot better than an hour ago at least. Third, it's because I have spent all my anxiety in the past hour. Fourth, yes, I did. Lastly, yes, Ainosuke is my little brother, thank you for noticing."

"Better than an hour ago?" She looked extremely worried.

"At least he said 'better' than the opposite," Kato commented, still staring at his ex-partner. "You're seriously going to leave him like this?"

Yumeto nodded and leaned on the vending machine, "It's for the best. He's better off without me, which is why I need to ask you some favors. In that building you'll find a saving book under Ainosuke's name. Please make sure that it goes to Ainosuke. The money in it is 'clean money'. I got them from saving my ssalaries as researchers and selling some things. I kept the proofs along with it, so it's not a hard thing to do."

Kato was about to interrupt him, but Yumeto beat him to it.

"I'll leave Ainosuke in your care. Please look after him for me," the man bowed to emphasize his point. And just as quickly, he straightened up and smiled, "Well, I guess that's all. You may want to visit Ainosuke too, so I won't hold you up. I'll take my leave then."

He turned and started to walk away.

"One last thing, Yumeto-san," Sayama suddenly called out, making him halted his steps, "You said that Ainosuke is better off without you, that's your assumption, isn't it? You didn't take into account what he thinks about it. Have you even considered that all he ever wanted from you is to always stay by his side, like you two used to be? All he ever wished for is to have his brother back."

Yumeto stood still for a few seconds before waving his arms, indicating that he heard her, and resuming to his steps. His face, which was hidden from the two, sobered up as he replied the question in his mind.

'Believe it or not, that is actually _my_ greatest wish.'


	4. Waking Up to the Bitter Truth

k59 : finally after all those chapters i arrived at this particular scene... though it doesn't come out like i expected it to be... but it's quite okay, i guess... anyway... thank you for all of you who have read my fic, i really appreciate that^^... *bows* enjoy~!

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Chapter 4 – 'Waking Up to the Bitter Truth'

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He woke up at the ray of light which shone on his face, sending its warmth to his body. Lifting his left arm to block the sunlight from his eyes, he could feel something attached to it. Slowly, he opened his eyes and was greeted with an unfamiliar white ceiling. He looked around and found that almost everything was white in color, even the curtain and, looking down, the clothes he was wearing and the bed he was lying on. As his eyes moved up his arm, he noticed a needle injected into his wrist and then his eyes traced the long tube connected to it before resting on the plastic container. That's when he noticed the noises from outside the room.

"He should have been up since this morning," worry could clearly be heard in the feminine voice.

"He just needs rest. He'll come around soon enough. The doctor said he's still recovering, isn't he? He need the sleep," a masculine voice tried to reassure the first voice's owner.

'Are they talking about me?'

"I just wish that he'll regain consciousness soon, though I have no idea how to deliver the news to him when he does."

A sigh could be heard before the male voice spoke up again, "And I don't think we can keep it from him either."

Silence bounded the situation as no sound was made and he was thankful for that. He needed it to gather his thoughts. Then, just as the words formed in his brain, images of what happened last night flashed through his mind, making him winced at the sudden occurrence.

He started to list out the things that he remembers, slowly. He had gone to find his brother, which he did after a good, tiring search. He remembered that the woman had pointed the gun at him before moving it towards his brother. But the gun had been a fake one and his brother had turned the table, only to get it turned again as another woman appeared. Then there were sounds of guns being fired, just seconds before a pain shot through his whole body. He sighed.

He was shot, the dull pain on his abdomen prove it. He looked around and a slight frown appeared on his pale face, wondering how he got there in the first place. He remembered falling and then the feeling of someone holding him close, sharing the warmth that he desperately needed, not only physically, but also emotionally. He remembered clutching onto his brother, quietly pleading that he wouldn't go away. Then, the comforting words that his brother had said to him, his promise not to leave him again…

His breath hitched and eyes widened in pure fear. He sat up, only to double over with hands over his stomach as the pain intensified because of his sudden movements, causing the bed to let out a creaking sound. He looked up shakily and frantically looked around once more, hoping that his sleepy eyes had failed to notice _him_ earlier. But the sight in front of him only made his heart beat faster and he felt himself started panicking.

No one.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his knees, trying to calm his ragged breath and shaking body.

'Calm down,' he told himself mentally. 'He promised not to leave you again. He's probably just going out to get something to eat. Yes, that's it. He's out to get something. He'll be back any minute. Just relaxed. He has always kept his promises before. You have nothing to be so worked out abou–'

"Ainosuke?"

The concern-filled voice caused him to lift his head up again. There, at the door frame, stood two people. But none of them was the person he was hoping to be there.

"You're awake!" Sayama came into the room, her face showed clearly that she was relieved to see him up. Kato had a big grin plastered on his face and he followed the school nurse.

But the boy did not respond to them. He just sat there, eyes transfixed to the door. A pleading expression could be seen all over his face. The two noticed this and in an instant, they came to a stop, exchanging confused look to each other. Sayama tried to call him again, but no response was given. He just kept on looking at the door with a pained look.

'Any time now,' he tried to convince himself. 'Any time now, he'll come through that door. Smiling his usual grin as he greeted me. Please. Please be there. Niichan.'

Seconds passed, but no one else was coming. His hands gripped the other's upper arms as his small figure shook with suppressed emotion. Tears started to stream down his cheeks, but his eyes never once tear their gaze on the door.

"He left, didn't he?" His voice croaked. "He left me alone again. Even when he promised me he won't."

He had wished that either Kato or Sayama would deny that and said that his brother would be back later, letting out a chuckle at his unnecessary worry. But no such words were given and he knew his suspicion had been right. Upon realizing that, the tears streamed down even more rapidly and he began to cry openly.

"Ainosuke…" Sayama tried to reach out to him.

"Why?" He choked the words out between his sobs. "Did I do something wrong? Does he really want to get rid of me? Am I not a good brother for him? Why? Tell me!"

He shouted the last two words before going back to weep at his loss, hanging his head down. Then suddenly he felt warmth engulfed him. He looked up, meeting Sayama's concerned face. The school nurse gave him a sad and sympathetic smile. And all he could do was to only give in and cried his heart out in her embrace.

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Kato watched in silent as Sayama laid the now sleeping boy back on the bed and covered him with the blanket. She had done her best to comfort the boy and Ainosuke had fallen asleep in Sayama's arms a few moments ago after draining the tears out of his eyes. Trails of tears could still be seen on his cheeks and the nurse wiped them with her hands.

The detective gazed sadly at his sleeping face, which showed pain even in his sleep. He put his hand on Sayama's shoulder, who had pulled a chair and sat by Ainosuke's bed side.

"I'm leaving. Call me if there's an improvement in his condition, okay?"

"Where are you going, Kato-san?"

He looked back to the sleeping figure on the bed before turning around.

"I'll track down that irresponsible big brother who caused all this and drag him back here. I'll let him know how much suffering he had gotten Ainosuke-kun into."


	5. Unexpected Signs

k59 : No, this story doesn't contain any romance... What happens in this chapter is purely friendship... Uhm... I'm supposed to say this at the end of the chapter, aren't I? Oh anyway, I hope this one is alright... Thanks for all of you who have read this story^^... I don't think this story will be very long... And please review so that I know where to improve on...

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Chapter 5 – 'Unexpected Signs'

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It was around 10 o'clock at night when Kato came back to the hospital. He came into the room and saw that there's no change in the situation. Ainosuke was still sleeping and Sayama was still in her previous position when he left that afternoon.

"If it's not dark outside, I'll say that time has stopped in this room," he joked as he put the bag on the table at the bedside.

"I did move earlier, you know. What's with the bag?" She looked up.

"Ainosuke-kun's clothes. I went to his apartment before going here. Just in case he needs them," he shrugged and seated himself at the other side of the bed. That was when he noticed Sayama was watching him intently. "What?"

"Why would he need that? He'll be staying here for at least a week. And that is if he could recover from the emotional wound too."

"I said just in case, didn't I?" He answered, but the look did not leave her face. "Now what?"

"How about your search?"

"About Yumeto-san? No clue. It's as if he vanished into thin air."

"So… The chance for Ainosuke to be able to meet him again is…"

"At this rate, very low. But maybe, just maybe, if it's Ainosuke-kun, then we'll have a better chance in finding him."

Sayama gasped, "You didn't mean, using his left eye?"

Kato nodded, "That's how he found him yesterday, right? If he can see through his left eye where Yumeto-san is, then it will be easier for us to find him."

"Kato-san," her tone had turned cold, "I already told you in detail this morning. And there's just simply no way I'll let you do that with his current condition. What are you thinking? You are telling me that you're planning to punch a boy who is hospitalized?"

"No, that's not what I meant," he put up his hands. "We can wait until he gets better first."

"He just recovered then!" She stood up.

Kato shushed her and turned to the boy, making sure that he's still asleep. Sighing in relief when his eyes remained closed, he spoke up, "Then tell me another way to find him."

She looked away. "T– That's…" she stuttered.

"Exactly," he looked sadly at the sleeping boy, "If we want to find Yumeto-san, Ainosuke-kun's help is really crucial."

"It's not that easy," she muttered.

"I know. Ainosuke-kun cannot choose what he wanted to see, and we agreed that neither can Yumeto-san. But it did give away his hideout once, so we can hope it will happen again, can't we?"

"I don't know. I don't want to give him false hope, only to have it crumbled again later. I have seen enough of him crying and I'm sick of not being able to do anything about it."

They both stood in silence, staring quietly at the sleeping boy.

"Let's just go home."

Sayama turned to him, "What? Why?"

"What can we do by staying here? There are doctors and nurses here to look over him for the time being. We also need rest. We won't do him any good if we're sick ourselves."

Sayama opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again when she found nothing to counter him. She looked at Ainosuke and back at Kato again. "Fine," she sighed.

The detective grinned, "Great. I'll even let you send me back to office."

She rolled her eyes as she took her bag, "Isn't the guy the one who is supposed to send the woman back home?"

"Well, seeing that this arm is still useless, I think the other way round will do as well," he shrugged.

"Very funny, Kato-san," she scowled. But her expression softened when she turned to her pupil, "Get well soon, all right?"She caressed his cheek as she said so.

"You have a soft spot on him there," he said in amusement.

"Who don't?" She asked as she pushed him out of the room.

"Well, I can't say that I don't, can I? Oi, wait a minute! I haven't said my good bye yet!"

"As you've said before, he's sleeping. Don't talk so loudly," she hissed and kept forcing him out.

xxx

When he opened his eyes again, the room was lighted with a dim light shone through the window. He pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his stomach and the throbbing in his head. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his palm.

"What's wrong with you? Your sleeping takes forever."

His eyes snapped opened upon hearing the voice. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he looked up, not daring to believe his ears. When he finally did, his eyes tear up. He tried to call him out, but his voice was not cooperating with him right now. All he could do was only stare as the person walked in and sat on his bed, facing him.

"Niichan?"

Tanaka Yumeto smiled softly at him, "You need to wake up."

He stared in confuse at the person in front of him. Why did he say such thing? He had just woken up, didn't he? He shook his head lightly, indicating that he truly did not understand what he was talking about.

Then, it just hit him. His eyes widened and he stared more intently to his brother. He was really there, looking back at him with a smile small tugging his lips. There was just no way that all of this was not real. Yumeto reached out a hand to caress his cheek, but he didn't feel the warmth. Tears were now running down his cheeks.

"I don't want to," he whispered. "You're not there."

Yumeto's eyes softened, "Then you just have to find me, don't you? Now, up!"

xxx

Ainosuke snapped his eyes opened. He looked around and found that the situation was exactly the same it was in his dream. Except…

"Except that he's not here," he whispered to himself.

But wasn't his brother said that he needed to find him? Did that mean that actually his brother also didn't want to leave him then? Was his dream could really mean something and was not just any ordinary dream?

He clutched his head as all that thinking made his headache worse. He forces his body to sit up, head still in his hand. He swung his legs to the side and put his feet on the floor. There was a familiar bag on the small table along with his uniform. His hand reached out and took the red and black scarf lying on it. He ran his finger through the soft material, recalling how he got it in the first place. Circling it around his neck, he stood up. The bag contained his clothes. He had no idea who got them there. He reached for the IV stand and, leaned on it, walked to the window.

He found that his room was on one of the top floors, since he could see Tokyo waking up. The street was almost empty and the small stores were preparing to open. The sun was just beginning to rise at the background.

He was enjoying the sight in front of him when he felt a familiar prickling on his left eye. He gasped and his left hand automatically went up to cover it. He looked around in frantic to see if there was anyone with him. When he found no one, he stared hesitantly at the iron bar that framed the glass. He bit his lips and gulped before closing his eyes and banged his head to the bar.

The effect was spontaneous. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor, leaning his head back. He opened his eyes and images flashed before his eyes.

A place crowded with people passing by…

A cell phone with his name on it, a finger was on the call button…

A schedule…

His sleeping form, with a pair of hands holding his left hand tightly…

A ticket…

He sat there on the floor, stunned by the images he was seeing. It was just impossible. His brother couldn't be serious in leaving him. He winced when the throbbing in his head got stronger. His breath came ragged and shallow, yet he forced himself up on his feet.

Slowly, he looked around, searching for a clock and found one right on the wall the other side of him. His eyes widened at the time and he made his way to the bed as quickly as his body allowed after ripping the IV needle off his wrist. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out some clothes. Quickly, he headed to the bathroom and got changed, knowing that if he walked out in his hospital clothes he would be easily recognized. If that happened, he could not get to that place in time.

Once again, he circled the scarf around his neck and, ignoring the pain in both his stomach and head, slid the door open.


	6. Two paths

k59 : I really don't know what i'm doing... it's just 6 more days to my exam T_T... but i can't help but to write this... the idea just kept bugging my mind... i'm hopeless... thank you for all who put up with me and this story^^~ ( wanted to reply the review directly but realize that can't do with one that doesn't have acc... so i'll just reply here.. hope none of u mind..)

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to tsubasaquill : my 1st impression was 'cool name'.. it has a nice feeling to it.. and thank you for reading n reviewing^^..

to Izzu : uhm... is it the good way or the bad way? but, thank you, really^^~ i'm looking forward for your next chapter too.. XD..

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Chapter 6 – 'Two Paths'

xxx

xxx

The junior high student leaned heavily against the lamp post. He was not even halfway to his destination – heck, maybe it wasn't even a tenth of it – and yet he barely had any energy left to stand. Let alone moved on forwards. If this kept on continuing, he would really miss the chance of having his brother back. For good.

He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of the negative thought.

He couldn't allow himself to be such a pessimist. He'll find his way to that place and would definitely find his brother. All he had to do was to keep on walking and believing. After all, his brother had stayed by his side in that hospital, even if he had left when he awoke. But still, it meant that his brother was actually still cared about him, right? If there was even the slightest chance that he would get the old Yumeto back, he'll grab it without hesitation.

Gently and slowly, he pushed himself off the lamp post. He allowed himself to take his time on steadying his feet on the ground before letting go of his grip and proceeding onwards…

…which proved useless after, for he found himself wobbling and falling forwards.

His eyes were shutting close and he braced himself for the impact that was about to come. He could hear wind whistled faintly on his ears as he did, feeling as if the time had slowed down. But instead of the cold concrete, he felt a pair of strong, warm hands grabbing his upper arms, offering support.

He opened his eyes tiredly, realizing that someone had caught him. But who…?

He raised his hands. The left quickly found its way to his head, while the right one was searching for anything to hold on. The grip on his right arm left its previous position and the next second, he could feel that same hand was supporting him by his lower right arm, gripping his elbow. He gripped the arm back just as tightly.

"Are you alright?"

The voice sounded familiar. He vaguely remembered the same voice giving him encouragement to move on. Wincing, he clutched his head harder. His headache surely didn't make things easier.

The hands on both his shoulder and elbow held him more firmly, steadying him.

"Do you need me to bring you to hospital? You don't seem to be alright."

With the condition he was in, he only managed to shake his head weakly. He was certain that his voice box was not cooperating well with him in the mean time. Seemed like going to the place by himself was kind of impossible after all. He needed help.

The question was, from whom?

Kato-san was still in the office, probably investigating the bombing case. Sayama-sensei was in the school and with her job as a nurse, she couldn't just walk off for one student. There were hundred others that might need her help there. Miruku-san was the only one who was free. But, she didn't have any transport facilities. Moreover, she had just got discharged from hospital.

"Come on. I don't know where you're heading to, but I think you really need to go see a doctor."

His heart beat faster upon hearing that statement. He let out a weak struggle in panic. However, his little effort was in vain. The hands held him firm, refused to let go.

In desperation, he looked up, hoping that this stranger would understand by his expression. If this didn't work, he didn't know what else he could do.

But, once he took on the sight of his rescuer, his eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth, thought no words came out. The man, however – he looked just as surprise to see him there, and not to mention in this condition – managed to find his voice.

"Ai-kun?"

xxx

Yumeto sighed as he flipped his phone closed. Just to flip it open again a few seconds later.

"I really need to stop this right now. This is getting nowhere."

He ran his free hand through his hair. His eyes were transfixed at his cell phone's screen. How come this little, simple thing bothered him so much?

A chuckle escaped his lips. A bitter one. Guess no matter what he did, he would always want to be an older brother for Ainosuke.

_A good older brother would never leave his little brother alone by himself._

He felt a pang in his chest as the thought formed in his mind. It's not like he did this for nothing. He was dangerous, that event a couple nights before had proved it. The further away Ainosuke was from his, the safer he would be.

Still, was it wrong for him to just hope? Wishing that his little brother would really turned up here, pulled him away from this place and then they would live together again. Just like the old times. Would he dare to hope for that to really come true?

An announcement rang and he looked up from where he was sitting. Upon hearing what it was about, his face saddened. He stared almost regretfully at his cell phone before shutting it down.

Hope, after all, was meant only to be hoped for.

The heavy feeling can be felt radiated from him as he took his bag and stood up. His legs steadily brought him closer to the gate. The calm which was shown on his face reflected the complete opposite of what he truly felt.

_Niichan!_

Yumeto stopped at his track. His heart was pounding in his chest. That voice. That endearment. How he had been longing to hear that cute voice to call him again.

He was really tempted to turn around. But he just shook his head, convincing himself that it was only his imagination. Ainosuke was still in hospital. He had just admitted there two days ago. There's no way he's here right now, he could not recover that fast. The crime planner nodded to himself, willing himself to ignore the tugging at his heart and kept moving forward.

He resumed his pace and showed his ticket to the attendant. The woman gave him a smile and let him pass. The path in front of him looked lively. It was full of many noices, which were all either energetic or enthusiastic. He envied them all, for they reminded him of Ainosuke. He could literally heard his brother's voice. It was so clear he could swear that if he turned around he would see him standing there.

Realizing that he was daydreaming again, he tapped his cheeks with his hands twice and closed his eyes for a while.

"Get a hold of yourself, Yumeto. You're doing this for him, remember?" he whispered softly.

He opened his eyes and sighed. This was harder to do than he thought it would. Grimly, he walked to his flight, not even once did he give a second thought to the voice he heard.

While on the other side of the gantry, unnoticed by him, a boy fell to his knees with his hands hugging himself and tears streaming down his cheeks.


	7. Tiny Rays of Hope

k59 : this is a short chapter, but I spent quite some time writing this, partially because of my exams (and still in the middle)... sometimes i just found myself unable to continue, though I already planned how the story will go... this is the result *sigh*... this chapter doesn't even explain anything (though i was having fun writing this, i must admit XD)... i'm sorry... thx for everyone who read^^~

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to Izzu : i found your stories sweet^^... the idea of Yumeto still taking care of his brother even in his death is just so heartwarming... oh, and i understand what you're saying by things getting in the way... well, maybe not exactly the same but... more or less... thx for reading & reviewing^^...

to Tsubasaquill : and I'm so glad you read them... i'll definitely finish this story, so please just bear with me^^... thx, i'll do my best in it (and in continuing this fic too) XD... please do.. thank you^^~

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Chapter 7 – 'Tiny Rays of Hope'

xxx

xxx

"Here you go. You look like you'll do better with some refreshment."

The boy looked up and was met face to face with a cold canned juice and a straw. Offering the man a weak smile, he reached out a hand to grab them. A soft, almost inaudible 'thank you' escaped his lips.

Ohuchi Kenjo smiled back and plopped down beside Ainosuke, watching him quietly as delicate fingers pulled the can open and put the straw in. The boy drank in silence and the other didn't make any attempt to start a conversation. Not yet, anyway.

Either he wanted to or not, Ohachi couldn't help but notice it. Noticed that the boy had changed so much in these 6 months he didn't see him. Somehow, he looked smaller now. Or was it because of those clothes he wore?

His dark brown hair was definitely longer, though just as naturally messy as he remembered it to be. But his eyes, he could no longer see the sheer determination that once shone in that brown orbs. That very same eyes were now red and puffy after long minutes of crying. And he could only see dejected feeling reflected in them.

What could have happened between him and his apparently-still-alive brother? There were so many unanswered questions in his head, but now was not the right time to clear them. If he could find someone else –anyone, really– to ask beside Ainosuke himself…

The boy had suffered enough without having to reliving them again.

"You alright?"

He cursed inwardly right after the words left his lips. That was a stupid question to ask. Of course he was not alright, how could he when his brother had just left him like that. The man didn't even turn his back to see him.

But Ainosuke nodded nonetheless.

The boy turned to face him and smiled at him apologetically. The pained expression still lingered on his face.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this, Ohuchi-san. I must have ruined your plan for the day. But I'm fine now. That's why, you can leave if you have something to do."

The police sighed before staring back at the boy.

"I can't just leave you like this, can I? Not in this condition and not in this place. How are you going to get back home?"

Ainosuke hung his head down again, muttering about something incoherent. Most probably some excuses for him not to worry and just go off. At least that was what he thought of, until he noticed fresh drops of tears fell to the boy's hands.

"Ai-kun? He- Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean to–"

The boy stopped the ranting by shaking his head. The canned juice was abandoned on his laps as his hands moved to wipe his tears away.

"No. I'm sorry. It's just… I wish my brother has the same thought as you. If he does, then…"

Ohuchi's expression saddened upon hearing his answer.

"Hey…"

He put a hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Will it make you any better if I say that at least, this time, your brother is still alive and well?"

Ainosuke blinked and looked up at him with questioning look.

"So long as both of you are alive, you have the chance of meeting each other again."

He smiled at the boy, who looked thoughtful. After a moment pondering about what he said, a soft smile finally decorating his pale face. His hand unconsciously moved up and gripped the red and black scarf he was wearing, pulling it closer to keep the warmth he was feeling within.

"All I have to do is to not give up, isn't it? That's what brother wants me to do. Just like what he told me in that dream, he wants me to find him. I can't lose hope now, I still have the chance to meet him again."

Ohuchi smile grew wider when he heard that, for he succeeded in cheering the boy up.

"That's the spirit! Being so depressed doesn't suit you at all."

The boy smiled gratefully at him and he grinned. He patted the boy one last time before withdrawing his hand and stretched a bit.

"Let's go back for now. There's nothing we can do here, anyway. I'll send you home."

Ainosuke started fidgeting in his seat and Ohachi raised his eyebrow. That was a gesture when someone was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. Somehow, he got a very bad feeling about this.

"Uhm… About that…" Ainosuke started.

"You're still living in that apartment, right?"

The boy shook his head, "I moved after that fake terrorist case." 'And after I found out about brother's another life.'

"Well, then, you just have to navigate me. I don't mind sending you home. It cannot be outside Tokyo anyway, seeing that I found you in it. Come on."

He frowned upon seeing that Ainosuke bit his lips. The boy's eyebrows were furrowed together, as if thinking about something, hard.

"You're not telling me something," he concluded and sighed as the boy nodded in response. "What is it?"

The boy whispered the answer, hanging his head down. His hands clutched the can tighter.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that. Mind to speak louder?"

Ainosuke gulped nervously before saying in a timid, guilty voice, "I was supposed to be in the hospital."

He casted a glance to the detective, who was just staring at him with his mouth agape. When the words finally sunk into his brain Ohuchi stood up abruptly and widened his eyes at the boy.

"What!"


	8. Fated Reminder

k59 : nothing much to say, really.. except that i wish i can write without getting side-tracked.. i hope u'll like it though^^.. thx for reading XD...

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to Tsubasaquill : thnk u.. i was not very sure about how do i do for that one, but ur comment really bring my spirit up^^.. please do, i'll do my best^^.. thx for reading~!

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Chapter 8 – 'Fated Reminder'

xxx

xxx

Ainosuke shut his eyes and shield himself behind Ohuchi. The pair in front of them just looked so scary right now. Even Ohuchi was having a hard time calming the furious pair.

"Sayama-sensei, Kato, please hear him first!"

The police tried to consult them, but could only smile sheepishly when they glared at him instead. The school nurse then turned her attention to her pupil once again. Her sharp gaze made Ainosuke cringed.

"Don't you know that we were worried sick about you? Kato-san and I were frantic when the hospital called and informed us that you had suddenly vanished this morning!"

Sayama's face was scarlet as she tried to contain her anger. Her fists were clenched on her either sides. Ainosuke looked at her apologetically, but was taken aback when tears started running down her cheeks. She let out a deep sigh before marching towards her student and engulfed him in an embrace.

"I was so worried," she whispered.

Ainosuke widened his eyes in surprise. This was something that he didn't expect to happen most out of the other options. His features softened and he rested his forehead on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sensei."

Both student and teacher were just standing there, finding comfort in each other presence.

Ohuchi smiled upon seeing that scene. But when he heard someone sighed, he turned around with a small frown and was met with Kato who was rubbing his temple.

"At least he was safe. Right, Ohuchi-san?"

The called police's frown grew deeper, as if he was contemplating hard. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. He took a look on the still hugging pair before turning back at his ex-partner.

"Kato, can I talk to you for a minute?"

xxx

The man walked out of the plane, covering his eyes as the sunrays that shone were blinding him.

Letting out a big sigh, he started take steps through the corridor, into the building. The other passengers were chattering away both in front and behind him.

"Niichan, where are we going after this?"

Yumeto froze on his place. He promptly turned around, only to see a scene which made his heart ache.

It was a pair of siblings; the older was probably in high school while the younger couldn't be older than 7 years old of age. They both had a big smile plastered on their faces, chattering away about their vacation plan. The older had a death grip on his brother's small hand, making sure that the little one wouldn't get separated away from him.

The ex-crime planner curled his fingers to a fist, his left hand held his bag tighter. Opening his fist, he stared down at his palm.

He used to do the same with this hand. He had always held his brother's hand just like that during old times, when Ainosuke was still a ball of energy. No, even now, his little brother was still just the same as back then, just less hyperactive. If he had lowered his guard even only by a little bit, the small kid would free himself and run all over the place, forcing him to run after that little devil.

How he missed those times dearly.

"Excuse me."

An unfamiliar voice brought him out of his trance. He looked over to see the same pair of siblings he was seeing earlier were now standing in front of him. The older brother had talked to him, so he forced a smile.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

The teen returned the gesture. His brother was constantly bouncing up and down on his toes.

"Are you familiar with this area? We're kind of confused our way."

He looked at the brothers questioningly before taking the piece of paper he offered. Recognizing the place drawn in the rough map, he gladly pointed out where they should go.

"Thank you for your help. Then, we'll–"

"Why are you alone?"

Before the older siblings could finish his sentence, his brother had cut in. Yumeto stared at the little child. Those innocent eyes were filled with curiosity. 'Just like him…'

"Reiichi! That was rude! I'm sorry about that. He's just like to talk."

The older bowed at him, but Yumeto only chuckled.

"Don't worry. I have a little brother myself. Believe me, he was just as fussy as your brother when he was this little kid's age, though he still is now. I think."

The teen nodded again, smiling knowingly before gasping.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Satoshi. This little rascal over here is Reiichi. Come one, what do you say?"

He nudged his brother by the back of his head. Reiichi put his hand on where his brother had hit him lightly and pouted. But once he turned to Yumeto, the pout vanished and the child flashed him a cute smile. He held out his little hand.

"Hi! Nice to meet you! What's your name? You said you have a little brother, right? Where is he? Is he of the same age as me? What's his name? What–"

"Reiichi!"

"Sorry…"

Yumeto laughed wholeheartedly. Wonder when was the last time he did that. He took the child's still extended hand, earning himself a bright smile. He grinned back.

"I don't mind, really."

He squatted down so that he was on the same eye level with Reiichi.

"I'm Yumeto. And, I'm sorry but my brother will turn 16 this year. But, hey, he is just as cute as you. And add as cheeky to that too… and…"

Yumeto trailed off as he had a nostalgic expression on his face features. Unconsciously, he had started listing what he had thought of his little brother.

How Ainosuke, as a little kid, always sat on his laps whenever he had the chance, even when he knew his brother was busy doing his works. His cheeky grins that he always showed afterwards. How the kid would grab his hand and dragged him to where he wanted to go. How his cheerful laughs always managed to brighten his days…

"Yumeto-niichan?"

Yumeto snapped back from his trance and look to the owner of the voice. Both siblings were now looking at him weirdly.

"Sorry, you said something?"

The kid pouted, "I asked where your little brother is. Why isn't he with you?"

Yumeto was stunned by the question.

'Why was Ainosuke not with him?' Wouldn't it be more appropriate with his situation if the question was changed into 'why _he_ wasn't with Ainosuke now'?

"He…" Yumeto cleared his throat before flashing a smile, "I'm here for a business matter, so he can't go with me."

Both siblings nodded.

"Then, I hope you finish your business thing fast. I bet he misses you! Just like how I always do when my brother is not around."

Yumeto widened his eyes upon hearing that innocent comment as the kid hugged his brother. The older sibling just smiled and ruffled his brother's hair affectionately.

Ainosuke… missed him…? Would he really? After all he did, would Ainosuke still miss him?

_Of course he does, you idiot. He's your little brother!_

Satoshi lifting his brother was what made him looked up. He stood up and watched in amusement as Reiichi giggled and wrapped his little, chubby arms around his brother's head while sitting comfortably on his shoulder.

"Come on, Reiichi. We already bother Yumeto-san enough, he also has something to do. And we only have until 8 in the evening before going back here for mom and dad. Then, Yumeto-san, thanks for your help. We'll be going."

The teen bowed his head to him. He then walked away while Reiichi waving his hand energetically at him.

"Bye bye, Yumeto-niichan! I hope you meet your brother again soon!"

Yumeto waved back at them, a smile plastered on his face. As soon as they were out of his view, his smiled dropped into a frown.

Just as he was finally able to make himself to leave, he was reminded of Ainosuke again. How both of them used to be in the old days was reflected in Satoshi and Reiichi.

The man slumped down on a bench, leaning his head back. He stared blankly at the ceiling as he lost in his thought.

After a while, a chuckle escaped his mouth as he ran his hand through his hair.

_Fate sure was a cruel thing…._


	9. Cloudless Sky

k59 : the longest chapter i have ever written.. sorry for taking so long but i seriously have my reasons.. with this done, i think the next will be the last chapter.. i'll try to put in a bit fluff XD.. i am reaa~ly temped to attempt it.. wish me luck^^..

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to Tsubasaquill : i was kind of worried that i'll be disappointing u with what Ohuchi wanted to talk about since i skipped most of the explanation coz all of us should have known anyway.. i'm glad u like it.. it's been a while since i want to write about that.. thank u^^~

to Izzu : yes, poor him~ i feel like i was torturing these siblings (^_^;).. but, if not then we wouldn't have a story here XD..

to KoigaiiLJ : me too^^~ i think the reason why i started this because i want more fics for this drama XD.. thank u too for reading.. i'll do my best to finish this properly^^

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Chapter 9 – 'Cloudless Sky'

xxx

xxx

"So that's what happened. No wonder Ai-kun looks very sad."

Ohuchi sighed after hearing everything from Kato. The younger police officer nodded in understanding, reaching for another french fries on the table.

"But, you know what, Kato."

The called man looked at his ex-partner questioningly, munching his fries away.

"That Tanaka Yumeto, from what you told me, I can tell that he really does care about Ai-kun. And a very great deal at that I may add."

"Really? You can say that even when you haven't met him."

Ohuchi smiled softly, "Ai-kun is still alive, right? That alone is enough of an evidence."

Kato stopped eating and stared at Ohuchi with serious expression. His eyes narrowed dangerously and Ohuchi noticed that. He elaborated.

"If he was really a heartless person, then he would have killed Ai-kun the first chance he had. But he didn't. Even when he had tried to kill them, he still didn't. Doesn't that mean that he still cares?"

Kato snorted a laugh, "If even you noticed that, his affection towards his brother must have been very obvious."

Ohuchi looked surprised, "You realized that too?"

Kato laughed for real this time, "How can I not? Seriously, he being my partner made me noticed a thing or two about him. You should hear him practically throwing praise after praise for that kid."

"Well, with all that things he did, you cannot blame him for feeling proud of his little brother. Anyone would."

Kato's laugh died down when a thought crossed his mind. His expression became grim.

"I just hope he'll put some sense to that brilliant brain of his soon enough. He needs to realize that Ainosuke-kun needs his support badly here."

Ohuchi sighed and nodded in affirmative. Both just sat in silence at one table in that hospital cafeteria, musing over their own thought. Something caught Ohuchi's eyes and he looked up to find Sayama walking towards them. Her expression was a mixture of annoyance and anxiety.

"Sayama-sensei, where is Ai-kun?"

"Ai-kun?" Sayama raised an eyebrow. She took one of Kato's french fries, ignoring the protest the owner gave her. "Why did you call him that?"

"That's how I called him in the first place anyway. I was just got influenced by Kato and you. So? Where is he?"

Sayama pulled a chair and slumped down on it, sitting between the two at that square table. She breathed in deeply before sighing loudly.

"The doctor dragged him to get him checked. And, no, I'm not joking. She really did drag him, scolding him along the way when she figured out that he had managed to catch a slight cold from his adventure this morning. I think she was Ainosuke's doctor during his two earlier hospitalizations too."

Both men listened to her quietly. Now that she mentioned it, Ainosuke had been admitted to hospital quite a number of times since the whole incident began. And the one after would be because of more serious cause than the one before.

No wonder the doctor had given him extra attention.

"So, Ohuchi-san."

Sayama called out as she took another french fries. Kato just sighed in defeat and pushed the rest of his fries towards the school nurse.

"Mind telling us what exactly the two of you were doing while we were panicking over where Ainosuke had gone to?"

Ohuchi gulped upon hearing the honey-sweet tone the nurse was using, which, even though accompanied with a smile, somehow sounded very scary.

xxx

Ainosuke sat in silence on the hospital bed, the same one he had occupied the night before. He had changed his clothes to another pair of pure white hospital clothes. His eyes watched the nurse who had reapplied the IV and was now bandaging his wrist with great interest.

"Why do you need to bandage it?"

He questioned the nurse and tilted his head a bit. The nurse finished her job before looking at him with a soft smile on her face.

"So that you can't rip it off next time. Can't have our cute mischievous patient run off again, can we?"

He pouted childishly. The nurse only chuckled upon seeing his reaction.

"I'll get you something to eat. You've missed lunch, so there's no way I'll let you miss dinner too. Early meal never hurts. Don't get off the bed."

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and his head a pat before strolling out the ward, leaving her patient to rest.

He leaned back into his pillow. It was weird. He felt fine now, aside from slight headache and pain in his left side. That was why he thought he would be able to make it to the airport by himself. But the fact, he couldn't. If not because of Ohuchi-san, he would have fainted on the road.

A sigh escaped his lips as he hauled himself up and off the bed. But, as soon as he put his weight onto his feet, the world spun around him. He fell onto his bed with head in his hand.

It seemed like he was not that well after all.

Groaning in frustration, he reached out for the IV stand. Once again, he leaned onto it as he walked towards the window. He slid open the glass cover and rested his arms at the window pane.

The sight of Tokyo waking up had been beautiful, but now, seeing the scenery in front of him, it couldn't compare. His window was facing the West and the view in front of him was fantastic.

It was a beautiful scarlet at the horizon. The sun was setting and, bit by bit, its face disappeared behind the earth. The sky was a mixture of pink and purple before turned to cloudless dark blue. The stars were shining, twinkling. Pale moon, which shone its soft light onto him, replaced the sun in the sky. Down below, the city lights glimmered just as magnificently. Soft breeze entered the room, passed him.

He smiled and closed his eyes in content. His body was leaning forwards, letting night breeze to hit his face gently, ruffling his hair. His cheeks started to colour from the cold wind.

Somewhere, under this same cloudless sky, his brother was living his life. His heart ached when he added 'away from me' to the sentence. He opened his eyes to stare at the stars again.

"I missed you," he whispered almost brokenly, "The real you."

A loud yell interrupted the silence in that room, making him jumped. He was about to turned around when two pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders and midriffs, making him winced. He was then pulled backwards, away from the window. He cried out in pain when the arms tightened their grip around him and made contact with his wounded stomach.

The next thing he knew, he already sat back down on his bed. He clutched his stomach and shut his eyes. Faintly, he could hear someone panting.

"What were you thinking you're doing?"

He flinched at the loud booming voice. Never in his life had he thought that Ohuchi could use that kind of tone. Hands still on his abdomen, he looked up to meet three half anxious half angered faces. Sayama was still holding the IV stand. Her lips were pressed together tightly, forming a thin line.

He stared confusedly at the three adults. What had he done wrong this time?

"I was just sightseeing."

The angry expressions were replaced by confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"Sightseeing," he repeated firmly. "You know, watching the scenery? Ouch!" He gasped and doubled over as he felt the pain intensified.

In a blink of an eye, Sayama was already at his side, fussing over him. The two policemen looked at each other guiltily.

"Well," Kato started, scratching his head, "Sorry then. It was just, your position looked as if you wanted to jump."

Ohuchi nodded, agreeing. Ainosuke stared at them in shock, his eyes widening and his mouth was agape. Light pink was creeping to his cheeks as he realized that he had made them worry again. He smiled pleasantly.

"I won't, because I've decided."

He diverted his gaze back at the night sky. His eyes stared almost longingly at the stars that glittered, his jaw stiffened. Determination was once again shone in his eyes, making the others looked at each other in wonder. The boy then spoke in a firm voice.

"I'll look for my brother. I will definitely find him and bring him back no matter what it costs me."

Silence was once again brought upon that room. The atmosphere seemed to have tensed because of those words. Sayama was the first one to move, she wrapped her arms around the boy briefly then ruffled his already messy hair. Ainosuke pouted and attempted to fix his hair. The school nurse grinned.

"That's the Ainosuke I know!"

"Ah, Ohuchi-san. I forgot to ask, why are you here?"

Sayama crossed her arms in front of her chest and sulked, "And here comes that ignorant attitude of yours. Fine, just ignore me like you always did."

Ainosuke threw her a grin before turning back to an amused Ohuchi.

"Just having a day off, don't worry about it. I'm going back tonight, by the way."

The junior high student nodded as the door slid open, revealing the previous nurse with a tray of foods. She raised her eyebrow when she saw that her patient was sitting sideways. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What did I say about getting off the bed?"

Ainosuke offered her a sheepish smile and started fiddling with his fingers. He totally forgot about that warning. But he never thought that this nurse was really strict either. To his astonishment, she then smiled. But her next words were not directed to him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but he needs rest after what happened today. Could you please leave? You may visit him again tomorrow."

Sayama hastily stood up. After a quick goodbye and some more hugs, the three left the room. She and Kato promised him to come by again tomorrow while Ohuchi said he'd call sometimes. Then, he was alone again. Almost, anyway.

He smiled weakly to the nurse, who was now eyeing him suspiciously.

"Don't force me to restrain you to the bed."

"Yes! I mean– no! I mean– I swear I'll do as you say!"

He frantically shook his head and held his hand up, emphasizing his promise. The nurse nodded, satisfied, and started to prepare his meal.

xxx

Yumeto stepped out of the building and let out a big sigh. He looked around him and spotted a vending machine. Feeling thirsty – and hungry actually – he walked over to it. He halted in his step when his reflection on the glass caught his eyes.

He chuckled softly and stared directly at his reflection's eyes.

"You are really one hopeless man."

He stood there for one good minute, before chuckling again and shook his head at his own stupidity. He bought a canned lemon tea and headed for a bench there. Slumping down onto it, he opened the drink and leaned back.

It was a cloudless night, making the stars could be clearly seen. This made him smile. Guess there's always a silver lining on every cloud. Though, his situation didn't exactly match that line.

His stomach chose that moment to growl.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't had any meal since breakfast. No wonder his stomach was protesting to him. He finished his lemon tea in a few big gulps and threw away the can into the nearby trash bin.

He pushed himself up and started walking again, searching for a restaurant or any place to eat.

It was just one tiny little stop before his real destination.


	10. Morning Surprise

k59 : I'm so very sorry for the very late update.. JC life really had me off guard.. but I'm almost done.. I'm currently halfway through chapter 12... I think this will have 13 chapters... I'm so sorry for the false information i gave before... this chapter is kind of a prologue by itself, in a way... the important 1 is in the next chapter... still... enjoy:D~!

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to tsubasaquill : i really, really appreciate ur support all this while n i'm sorry if i disturbed ur study with my sudden update.. hope i don't this time n i also hope that i don't let u down with this one.. i'll upload the next within this week n hopefully finish the whole story in 2 weeks time.. thx a lot^^..

to RyosukeYamada012 : thx a lot:) n i'm sorry too, for taking this long...

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Chapter 10 – 'Morning Surprise'

xxx

xxx

Kato whistled a rather catchy song as he walked, for he was in a particularly good mood today. Though he was still nowhere as good a police officer as detective Fukuchi had been, his passion for his job was finally acknowledged. The promotion helped too.

Today was perfect! Well, almost. If Ainosuke's condition had finally improved and not worsened, then it would be.

So that was what he was doing right now. Armed with a rather big box of warm takoyaki he had just bought, he was in his way visiting his favorite junior high student. Wonder if that kid had already woken up.

Kato halted in his steps so abruptly that the nurse, who was happened to walk behind him, threw him a nasty look and scurried away. Muttering his apology to the annoyed nurse, he hesitantly approached a figure who was too intently peeking through the small opening of a door to notice him coming.

He stopped right behind her and cleared his throat audibly. No reaction. He tried again, a little louder, but was met with similar response. Resisting the urge to shout to startle her, he contented himself with placing his free hand on her shoulder.

The school nurse let out an undignified squeak and promptly whipped around. Her hands immediately positioned in front of her, ready to shoot out a punch or two if necessary. But once her eyes set upon her fellow 'guardians' – a term which both of them had came out with to describe what were they to Ainosuke – she visibly relaxed and dropped her arms. She let out a big sigh, before catching herself and scowled instead.

"Kato-san! You scared– Ah! Sssssshh!"

Kato threw her an amused look, "I haven't even said anything yet."

"You just did," Sayama pointed out.

The detective rolled his eyes, "Fine, I just did. What are you doing standing out here like a peeping tom?"

Sayama's eyes lit up instantly that Kato was becoming wary. He always had a bad feeling whenever that sparkle appeared in the school nurse's eyes. She grinned at him.

"Promise me to keep quiet and not doing anything reckless."

Kato raised his eyebrow, "Are we talking about me?"

"Kato-san, just do it!" She hissed, though still grinning. "You won't believe what I found when I came this morning."

"What would that be?"

Sayama grinned even wider, if that was possible. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen her this happy before. Whatever she found must be really – as in extremely – good.

She gestured for him to stand closer and pushed the door a little bit wider. Kato didn't move and gave her a funny look instead. Clicking her tongue in exasperation, she pulled him by the arm and peeked inside herself.

"I don't understand what are you so worked out a…" he trailed off as he poked his head into the hospital room. His eyes grew wide at the peculiar sight in front of him and he could feel his jaw dropped. He closed his eyes and shook his head as if to make sure that he was not hallucinating, but no. They were still there the moment he pried his eyes open.

The first emotion that hit him was confusion. But then, the events that happened in the past few days caught up to him and he felt relieved. Yet again, he remembered what happened in the past few months. His hands began shaking with fury. He roughly pushed the plastic bag to Sayama and stepped into the room.

"HOW– Whoa!"

Before he could process what had just happened, he was once again outside the room. He staggered a bit as the hands that pulled him released him. Once he regained his balance, he turned to the one responsible and glared, only to meet a pair of eyes full of wrath. He cowered back.

"What in the world do you think you were going to do?" Sayama hissed hotly.

"You saw it yourself!" He hissed back, his anger once again flared up in him. "Did you not see who's in there?"

Sayama looked rather insulted, "Of course I did. I'm the one who first found them, aren't I?" She went back to her position at the door, smiling softly as she looked inside again. "Isn't that sweet?"

"Swee– Sayama-sensei did you hit your head or something? In case you haven't realized, the one inside there is–"

"I know who that is, thank you very much," Sayama cut his sentence.

"Then why did you stop me?" Kato was growing frustrated by the school nurse's attitude.

Sayama raised an eyebrow at him, "Did it occur to you that this may be the only chance that everything will turn out alright? That what you were about to do would have ruined that?"

Kato blinked and finally had the decency to look abashed, "Well, I was angry."

"Sure you was. But I think we are not the one to decide anything. Why don't we just left them alone for now and come back later when they are both awake and finished whatever they need to solve between themselves?"

"I can do that," he nodded, a gesture which Sayama returned.

"Good. Now, if you are sane enough to take this plastic bag back, I have a little something to do first."

Kato was flabbergasted as his colleague – at taking care of Ainosuke – harshly pushed the plastic covered box back into his hands and marched into the room. He watched in horror when she started rummaging her handbag, making an unbelievably loud noise.

"Wait a minute, Sayama-sensei! What are you doing?"

The police scampered after the nurse just as she beamed and pulled out a handy cam out of her bag. But his attention was not focused on her anymore. Rather, he was watching with growing dire as Ainosuke stirred a bit at the voices around him.

"You woke him up!" He hissed frantically.

Sayama had her back on him and was too busy checking the angle of her handy cam to care. Well, at least she managed a "Then put him back to sleep!" to him.

To say that he was stunned by her instruction was an understatement. He had not married yet, let alone having kids. He had absolutely no experience nor skill in this kind of thing. How in the world was he supposed to do that?

He looked back dubiously at the boy, whose eyes were now fluttering open. Two brown orbs peeked lazily from behind the lids, still clouded with sleep. Thank goodness that Ainosuke was still not completely awake and did not aware of his surroundings… yet.

He gulped and inhaled deeply. He could do this. He had come face to face with murderers, kidnappers, robbers and many other criminals. Surely he could handle a 15 year old kid… Even if he had to put him back to sleep… And still yet to know how exactly he could do that.

Letting out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding, he reached out a hand to touch the boy's head. But before he could do so, another hand had already placed there.

His breath hitched on his throat and he watched tensely as the same hand started to smooth the boy's hair back. A soft melody reached his ears and his eyes widened when Ainosuke leaned into the hand and closed his eyes. Once again off to dreamland.

Kato could only watch the whole ordeal with amazement. He turned to the owner of the hand and the one who had hummed the song, now silent. But to his further astonishment, the said person seemed to be not awake as well. Kato shook his head in disbelief.

"How on earth did he do that when he's still asleep himself?" He whispered in an awe filled voice.

"I believe it's called a brother's instinct, Kato-san."

Kato jumped at the hushed voiced that answered him. He quickly turned to his left, only to see an over-joyous Sayama with the handy cam in her hands. She diverted her gaze from the screen to her only awake companion and gave him an unbelievably big grin.

"I got it on tape," she squealed delightfully.

One end of Kato's lips twitched, "You got it on tape." He had spoken slowly, as if processing the words. Then the whole picture clicked in his mind. "And I suppose you also want to leave that sinful device in your hands to spy on their first reaction when they wake up without being here."

An even wider grin was all he got as an answer. He watched warily as the nurse stepped backwards slowly until her back hit a table that he was sure was not there when he came in. She lowered the handy cam on it and adjusted it a little before straightening up and clasped her hands together.

"Done!"

Kato rolled his eyes.

"Yes, done. Can we finally give these two the peace that they deserve now?"

Sayama huffed impatiently, "You are such a kill joy. Relax a bit, Ka– Ah! Don't go in front of the cam! Walk around it! I don't need you in my video."

Kato attempted to look hurt, which Sayama paid no attention at all, and so settled on scowling instead. Sayama rolled her eyes amusedly and reached out a hand to drag her sulking friend outside.

"We should go now. They need not to know we've been here."

"Said a woman who installed a handy cam to spy on them," Kato shook his head.

Sayama looked indignant as she closed the door behind her softly.

"We've been told to look after Ainosuke and I will do just that. I need to make sure that everything is going on smoothly. Don't look at me like that! It really is my real intention! Anyway, is that takoyaki you have there?"

The police detective mock groaned and started walking away, smiling to himself when he heard the nurse gave a cry and hurrying after him.


	11. Between Dream and Reality

k 59: as i've promised, i update within this week.. thx to all of you who have put up with me n my lateness.. hope u'll enjoy this (this chapter was so fun to write, i'll admit^^~)..

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to Izzu : thank you^^.. i just thought that Yumeto ought to have done it so many times before that he could even do it in his sleep XD

to Koigaii lj : i'm sorry i took so long.. i don't think i can update fast enough once school starts again, so i'll do my best this holiday^^~

to tsubasaquill : that's the whole point of this chapter^^.. i actually gave a hint about this in the chapter before that.. about real destination.. but i guess i was being too vague and no one notice that XP..

to RyosukeYamada012 : it's okay.. n thank you^^~ u checked every day? oh my, i'm so sorry.. i promised i'll do my best to finish this story quickly..

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Chapter 11 – 'Between Dream and Reality'

xxx

xxx

Yumeto stirred as warm sunrays hit his face. He shifted a bit and readjusted his position, though it made no improvement for his comfort in that awkward stance. His back was stiff and his right arm ached from bearing the weight of his head. Still, he made no move to ease it. For the warmth radiated from the slightly smaller hand he was holding in his right had compensated him more than enough.

He frowned when he felt something moving beneath his left hand, followed by a rustling sound. Reflexively, almost unconsciously even, he moved his hand in a soothing manner, smoothing the soft hair back.

Wait… Hair?

He straightened up on the chair, pushing himself off the mattress and opening his eyes lazily. Once his vision is focused and free of sleepiness, he gazed at the direction of his left hand.

A smile blossomed on his face instantly.

There, lying on the mattress was his younger brother. But that was not the reason he felt his heart soar. It was the sight in which his brother, his baby brother, was leaning into his touch. Snuggling even.

He moved to sit on the bed, capturing his brother's right hand in two of his own. His smile softened when the small fingers loosely curled around one of his hands. He ran his thumb on the back of his brother's hand gently before holding it firmly on his cheek.

"It's been a very hard time for you, hasn't it?" He whispered to the pale hand, before pressing a kiss on the palm.

He looked sadly at the other hand. The wrist was connected to an IV with bandage wrapped around it. Seemed like his little devil had managed to get into another trouble in a day time.

He took his time to take in the condition his brother was in. Last night, he was too tired and sleepy to make a good assessment, but now he had all the time he needed. He took in every detail there was to see.

The closed eyelids, hiding sparkling chocolate brown orbs he loved so much. The deep breaths that came out from a slightly open mouth, synchronized with the way his chest rose and fell rhythmically. The way his rather long – Yumeto made a mental note to bring his brother for a haircut after he was out of hospital – brown hair curled on the soft white pillow. The peacefulness of his expression, as if he had no worries.

Yumeto sighed heavily.

That was just one expression of many that his brother did not show in front of him anymore. The ones that he usually got were of pain, fear or anger. Oh dear, he was feeling that he was such a bad brother. How could he ever fix this? He had acted very impulsive last night and took a flight back, hoping to make an amendment with his brother. That idea sounded very ridiculous to his ear right now.

But that child, Reiichi, said that Ainosuke would have missed him. Moreover, the little kid had said that as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was childish of him, but he wanted to believe it. After all, wasn't there a saying that a child could know a thing so simple that an adult missed? Or was it his own saying?

He sighed heartily as he brushed the stray brown locks away from his brother's closed eye. There's nothing he could do anymore except hoping for the best. He was already here and had made up his mind to stay. No matter what fate had in store for him, he knew he was in the right place at last. For the decision to come back was considerably far too easy to make than to go away.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss onto his brother's forehead, before releasing himself away. He walked quietly into the bathroom to wash his face. Might as well wake up now and kept vigilant eyes, so that he was already awake when Ainosuke woke up and not the other way around. Though if Ainosuke did wake up first, he'll get an option to run away beforehand and not faced with this straight away.

The ice cold water felt refreshing to his still a bit sleepy eyes. He stared at his reflection and his lips curled into a small smile. A few seconds later, he shook his head vehemently. He took a rather shaky deep breath and smiled once more. This time, though, all trace of his hesitancy disappeared all together.

He stared quietly at his reflection before his smile dropped and he sighed heavily. He had started to get better at hiding his emotion.

His hand reached for a hand towel hanging on the bathroom wall and wiped his face as his feet took him back into the room. Before he had the chance to go completely into the room though, he halted.

His eyes widened and his hands dropped from their position in front of his face. Fingers were clutching the soft fabric as his hands dangling limply at his sides. All thoughts had fled from his mind, leaving his mind blank and numb. He could do nothing but to stare back.

At the chocolate brown orbs which were locking their gaze with his softly.

"You come again."

xxx

The moment he was up, Ainosuke knew something must have happened. For once, the first time in months, he feels oddly in peace. Like everything was back to how it once had been, a long time ago.

But he knew better, from experience, than to believe it. The only time he had ever felt like this in the past weeks was in…

A sad smile tugged his lips as a realization dawned on him.

Of course. There's no other way he would feel this safe. The one person who can still made him feel like a little child who were contentedly tucked in on his bed was probably miles away from here. But if this was really what he thought it was, then _he_ should be somewhere nearby.

He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes as he sat up on his bed, still clad in the white hospital gown. Then he stretched a bit, before finally looking expectantly to the door. His face immediately fell when he saw no one there. But at that time, a sound of door being opened was heard and he whipped his head at the direction of his room's bathroom.

And sure to his suspicion, his brother walked into the view.

His brother seemed to have just washed his face and he smiled fondly at the sight. It reminded him of times when they still lived together. He watched quietly as the towel finally lowered down, and a pair of brown eyes, an exact copy of his own, locked their gaze with his. And for the first time in weeks, he smiled at his older brother.

"You come again."

His cheeks coloured and he ducked his head in embarrassment when he heard the joy that had laced his voice. But he just could not help it. Not when he had finally met his brother, even if it was only here.

If he had kept his eyes on his brother, he would have seen the utter confusion on his face. But Ainosuke was too occupied with his own emotion that he missed the surprise clearly written on his brother's face. And when he finally got it under control, so had his older brother.

"How are you doing?"

He felt his eyes watered and was tempted to whack himself for being such a crybaby. It was only a question. A simple question. Yet it was enough to make him _this_ happy. His brother had never stopped by just to ask how he was these few weeks. All of them were either a threat or warning. So, it wasn't really his fault to be this happy by that simple question, was it?

He looked up. The pleased smile on his lips had not faded yet when he answered the question.

"I've been good. Though I still can't catch you despite your early warning."

He drew his legs closer and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees. There was a faraway look on his face when he talked again. His face features softened.

"I really thought I would be able to convince you to go back, you know. Then we'll live together again like we used to. We may have to find another place to stay, though. Or maybe you can move in with me and Miruku-san. It may be though, but I'm sure we can manage it. If we could do it for a few years back, then we can do it again. I know we can. I know. I just know it. I do. I really do."

In the end of his little speech, he was already sobbing quietly and promptly buried his face on his knees. His body shook with every harsh breath he took. And so, he felt rather than saw when his brother walked slowly towards him.

"Don't."

The word was strangled and soft and, most obviously, broken. But just a single word had been enough, for his brother halted in his steps and silence was back in the room. He took a very deep breath and exhaled shakily, trying to get himself calmed down. His hands came up to wipe the tears stain hastily before he finally looked up to his brother once more.

"Just please, can't you let me stay like this a bit longer?"

A little frown – and was that confusion he saw in his brother's eyes? – was now decorating his brother's face and he could feel his heart sank at the sight. It was never a good sign whenever his brother did, especially when it was directed to him. So he resorted back to what he always did when his brother was frowning at him. Pleading.

"Please, I miss you."

He totally ignored the fact that his brother's eyes widened slightly at his remark. Valiantly keeping his tears at bay, he continued.

"I miss you. And you've been away for too long. Just… Let me be with you a while longer. I won't ask for anything else. I promise. Just please, don't wake me up yet."


	12. Assurance

k59 : Happy birthday to Ryo-chan n Yokoyama^^~! i'll do my best to upload the next chapter within today, since i'm almost done with it... the 2 was meant to be 1 chapter actually, but then it stretch n stretch n finally became too long... so i split it up... oh, n sorry for the overdue... enjoy~

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to Izzu : that's an interesting way to see it.. i actually thought about it n, hey! u're right.. i reminds me of when satoshi finds charmender... ok, i'm going out of topic here.. anyway, thank u^^~

to RyosukeYamada012 : i'm so srry... i feel really guilty right now... i'll make it up for u today.. thank u^^~

to tsubasaquill : i'm sure i'm blushing whenever i read ur comment... thank u for ur support^^.. i know i'm very slow but please bear with me *bows*

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Chapter 12 – 'Assurance'

xxx

xxx

"_Just please, don't wake me up yet."_

Yumeto felt himself blanched when he heard the last sentence his brother said to him.

Could it be, Ainosuke thought that this was all just a dream? That none of this was even real?

But even when his little brother thought so, Ainosuke had clung to this 'dream' of his. Desperation shone ever so brightly through both his brother's actions and words. Ainosuke's need to be with him, even if only in dream, had him stunned to the point that he could do nothing but to stare back blankly.

He didn't know whether he should be feeling elated or dampened. Happy, because he knew now, with solid evident that no one could deny, that his brother missed him as much as he did. Sad, for he had witnessed for the first time, just how much strain he had put on his brother.

Which was a revelation that he found rather odd. Ainosuke had been very brave, and though he did notice the sadness that crept onto his brother's expression, the kid still confront him in each and every possible opportunity that he had. With a startle, he realized that it was not only him who had put on a mask all this while.

Yumeto stared right onto his brother's face, his brother's hopeful face, and felt bit of his heart shattered by each passing second. Saying nothing, he took a step forward, and then another one. He almost gave in and ran to his little brother when he saw Ainosuke's face fell in obvious heartbreak. But he kept his slow pace, though it was just as agonizing to him as to his brother.

He stopped right in front of his younger brother, whose eyes had followed every movement he did. Neither said anything as they gazed into the other's eyes. Finally, after a few long seconds, an acceptance seemed to have come in term with his younger brother. A glimpse of defeat passed through Ainosuke's brown orbs and Yumeto felt his own heart broke.

Yumeto reached out his hand towards his brother and held back a flinch himself when Ainosuke winced involuntarily. He stopped his movement and watched quietly as Ainosuke opened his eyes and threw a rather scared look at his outstretched hand, to his face and then back to the hand again, as if daring it to come any closer.

But that resolution broke as Yumeto's hand hovered over his head. Ainosuke gave in to his fear and clenched his eyes shut. He watched the whole ordeal sadly, even if he could not help the fond smile now gracing his lips at the petulant display his brother had allowed to show in front of him earlier.

But seeing the terrified bundle that was his brother hugging himself close broke his own resolution. Instead of ruffling his brother's hair like he had planned to do, he placed his hand firmly at the top of the brown hair and leaned down to kiss his brother's temple. If he lingered there a little bit too long, he would blame his brother for that.

For making him worry far too often than he preferred to be.

He could feel his brother tensed at his sudden intimate gesture. And as he straightened himself, Ainosuke whipped his head up so fast that he feared his brother might have a sore neck for it later. He made his face to be emotionless for a few second as his brother stared at him unbelievingly, before finally letting a smile formed upon his lips.

The first genuine smile he directed to his younger brother in months.

How he wished he had done this sooner.

Then Ainosuke unhooked one arm and seemingly reached out to him, hesitantly. Eager to make sure that he had not just imagining things, yet afraid at what he would find. Yumeto's smile grew as he took the slightly smaller hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Ainosuke's breath hitched and wide eyes staring at him in shock, tears threatening to fall. And what he did next made Yumeto felt that all this waiting had been worth it.

Yumeto had barely enough time to blink before he found himself with an armful of sobbing little brother.

He staggered for his balance when his brother threw himself to him. His arms reflexively sneaked around Ainosuke's back, holding him tightly. One hand holding the head securely right under his chin as he inhaled his brother's unique scent, burying his nose to the brown tangles of hair. He just stood there quietly, letting his brother flooded out his too long suppressed emotions, giving the best comfort that he could.

Then he felt Ainosuke slipping from his hold, though his grips were just as strong. His brows furrowed as he glanced over the shoulder and found the cause. He tugged lightly on a strain of hair.

"Ainosuke, you need to let go. You'll fall if you don't get back onto the bed. Come on, your feet are not yet strong enough to support your weight like that."

The only reaction he got from that was his brother tightening his arms around him, fingers clutching harder to the material of his shirt.

He stared sadly at the dark hair nestling on his chest, his own arms tightening. Sighing softly, he rested his chin on top of his brother's head. Now what was he suppose to do? He voiced out the only thing he could think of.

"I'm sorry."

A fist released its grip on his shirt and thumped on his back lightly, followed by a muffled, choked and breathless "You should be."

Yumeto couldn't help but chuckle. A fond smile graced his lips as he shifted his position. With a bit of struggle, he managed to move both him and his brother onto the bed, him, sitting on the mattress and Ainosuke halfway onto his laps.

His brother clung desperately at him the whole time. And frankly, he did not want to let go either, even if he had told his brother to do so. So he just sat there, holding his baby brother like all those time when they were little. Even now, years later, Ainosuke still fit in perfectly in his arms. Guess the 12 years difference of age came in handy at a time like this.

But as the time went by, Ainosuke's cry did not subside. If anything, it only grew even more intense. The sound came out from his brother was so full of pain that Yumeto tangled his finger on the dark hair, holding it firmly tucked in the crook of his neck.

"Ainosuke, talk to me…. Please?"

The last word was added after a slight hesitation. But Yumeto figured that a little encouragement would not be bad. And either he was a lot better than he thought he was or Ainosuke was just too predictable, it did get Ainosuke's attention. A little bit too much perhaps, for once again, Ainosuke whipped his head up at him and he was absolutely worried about his brother's neck. Though, that was not his main concern right now. The state his brother was in, on the other hand, was.

Yumeto smiled sadly as he ran his thumb to wipe his brother's tears away. He saw Ainosuke inhaled sharply and was not surprised to hear it caught in his throat. In just a blink of an eye, his little brother had reverted back to almost wailing, struggling to get the words past his mouth.

"Y-you… You didn't t-turn back."

Yumeto blinked at the unexpected statement. He had anticipated lines like 'You left,' or 'You lied,' but never 'You didn't turn back.' As if sensing his silent question, his brother continued speaking, still bawling his eyes out, attempting futilely to wipe his tears.

"At the a-airport, I c-called for y-you, so m-many t-times. B-but you never t-turned back."

Yumeto felt his heart went out for his little brother even as guilt filled his whole being. His mind replayed the scene at the airport yesterday. The voice that had called for him, it was not his imagination as he had thought it was. His brother had indeed come for him, to bring him back. And he had deliberately ignored it, even if unknowingly.

_Yumeto, you idiot!_

His breath left him in a long, shaky exhale and it was the only warning he gave his younger brother before the younger was yanked, albeit gently, back to his older brother's chest.

"Why?"

Yumeto winced at the loud voice came from the direction of his chest, frustration working its way through. Slight hands were pushing against his chest ineffectively.

"You said everything's going to be fine! You said you wouldn't leave me! Then why wouldn't you _stay_?"

The effect was rather ruined by the heaving sobs that accompanied the words. Yumeto kept a firm hold of his struggling brother. Arms, curled protectively around the younger, unconsciously squeezing tighter.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" was spoken softly, soothingly.

He ducked his head, leaning close enough to drop another gentle kiss in the mass of dark hair. Either it was his words or his suddenly affectionate gestures, Ainosuke seemed to be able to relax. It was only slightly, but enough to cease his struggle. After a few moments, his wail finally calmed down to sob, then to hiccups. Yumeto did nothing to stop him, rubbing his back comfortingly the whole time.

"Why?"

His eyes saddened at the broken tone that had crept into his brother's voice, the volume having decreased greatly. Despite that, Yumeto couldn't help himself but to tease his brother.

"Why did I come back?"

Once again, the fist came to hit him, though no real force was used this time. He chuckled softly, resting his chin on top of his brother's head.

"You're being too vague, you know that? But…" he sighed heavily. "I think I know you well enough to guess which one you mean."

Yumeto stayed silent for a moment, before slowly and gently pulled his brother away, just enough to look at the teen straight into his eyes. Teary brown eyes met his and he smiled gently, reassuring the sudden dread that had filled them.

"Ainosuke…. Do you not know just how much you meant to me?"


	13. Heart to Heart

k59: so, this is the 2nd half... then i'll just have to write an epilogue n i'm done^^~!

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to Izzu : i thought so... at first i didn't make him cry... but then i remember he was suppose to be 15... so i try to make him act a bit childish... but may be i overdid it... (^_^;)

to Milennia-hime : ? i was the one who suppose to thank you... thx for reading^^

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Chapter 13 – 'Heart to Heart'

xxx

xxx

Yumeto couldn't hold back a chuckle at the surprise mixed with disbelief expression on his brother's face.

"_Nichan_…?"

He shook his head and averted his gaze back to his brother, suddenly turned very serious. He tightened his grip he had on his brother's arms, trying to emphasize his point to his stubborn brother.

"I didn't leave you because I hate you, or because I hold grudge on you because of that kidnapping case 8 years ago as you believe it to be. On the contrary, I did it because I don't think you'd be safe with me. You see, I killed someone. For your sake, I know," he added hastily when he saw his brother looked ready to protest. "But believe me when I say this, it was not your fault. It was theirs, the kidnappers. But, the thing is, it changed me, completely. It was so throughout that it even scared me. That, and all the things that I got myself involved in, made me did not trust myself enough that you'll be left unharmed."

He smoothed back the stray hairs that had fallen to his little brother's face, noticing that tears were swimming dangerously on the brown orbs.

"So I faked my death. Of course," he chuckled lightly, "that one didn't work so well, seeing that you saw right through it. Imagine my surprise when I found you standing there. I thought my heart would just burst when you said 'It's you, right? Big brother?'"

He smiled ruefully, reminiscing that fated day, when everything went chaotic.

"And you wouldn't back down too. Even after I threatened you, you threw that challenge to me. What am I suppose to do with you? Honestly?"

He stopped for a while as he watched that his brother had the grace to look slightly sheepish albeit looking a little offended too.

"I thought then, may be if you remember about that incident 8 years ago, you would understand and stop endangering your life. I made a plan. A master plan, to trigger your memories and I made sure to show you how dangerous it is to be involved with me. You would not back down. I came to you personally and threatened you in the worst possible ways I could think of. You still wouldn't. I was so desperate that I decided to go rather, I admit, extreme. And I achieve what I want, you got back your memories. Your reaction, however, was not what I was expecting."

He smiled sadly and his eyes were filled with regret as he continued talking.

"Just as usual, you have to go all guilty and miserable that it took all my will power to not just unlock the door and pulled you into my arms. To make it worse, you seemed to be even more determined to stop me. You even went as far as going to my hiding place, and Yoshida was not there to drag you away as I planned and…"

Here, he paused as – to his horror – he felt tears prickling at the back of his eyes. He took a long deep breath to steady himself. He looked away from the hopeful look his brother was giving him, bending his head down.

"And I almost got you killed."

He swallowed thickly, attempting to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat. His hands slid down to rest on top of his brother's lower arms.

"You were so pale and so limp and all I could think of was how, once again, I had failed you. Nothing I did seemed to succeed in driving you away. If anything, I only made you pushed even harder to reach me. Made you risked your life so many times. And I –"

The almost rant he was doing was interrupted by an angered exclamation.

"_Niichan_, you idiot!"

He looked up sharply, just as how Ainosuke had done earlier. To his astonishment, he found himself face to face with an angry younger brother. His fingers were clenched tightly into fists.

"Did you even use your brain?"

Yumeto's eyes widened considerably when his younger brother's temper just exploded in front of him. Never in his life had he heard his brother scream like this, not to mention the insult to his intelligence. There was a hysterical tone in Ainosuke's voice and the teen seemed to be hyperventilating. He roughly grabbed his brother's shoulders.

"Ainosuke! Ainosuke, calm down!"

Ainosuke paid no attention and pushed his hands away.

"How am I suppose to calm down? How is it that you ask me to calm down when my older has just told me that he wanted to get rid of me?"

Yumeto blanched as the words reached his ears. He shook his head vehemently, reaching out to grab a hold of his brother but was once again shoved away.

"No. No, that's not it. Don't you get it? I thought that you need to stay away from me, for your own safety."

"Same difference! You turned away from me! I chased you, but you only ran faster! You only looked ahead, never glanced back! So focused on getting your goal that you didn't notice what's behind you! Never notice how _I_ feel!"

Then, with alarming speed, Ainosuke slumped forward, drained of energy from the roller coaster of emotions that he had just experienced. Yumeto felt his brother rested his forehead on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around the teen. Letting loose all of his anger and frustration had left his brother shaking.

"Why can't you understand that all I want is to have my _niichan_ back?"

It was spoken so softly that Yumeto would definitely miss it if not for the fact that his brother was so close to him.

But upon hearing that, determination shone on his eyes and he gathered his brother onto his laps, cradling him gently. And if the way Ainosuke made no move to object was any tell, he knew that his brother was just too tired, too exhausted to even launch another round of protest.

"I do understand."

His brother didn't make any reaction except to lean his weight more to the older.

"At least, now I do. I'm sorry that it takes me this long to realize it. But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

"As if I would ever let you go again," Ainosuke's answer was interrupted by a huge yawn. "It'll still be a very long time until you managed to escape me. I'll handcuff myself to you if necessary."

Yumeto chuckled at his brother blatant and bold response. He shifted and adjusted their position so that they were both lying on their sides, facing each other. He kept his arms around his brother, holding him close. The younger's head resting comfortably against his chest.

But instead of drifting into sleep, this seemed to raise Ainosuke. He tried to sooth his distressed brother.

"No. Get some sleep. You'll need it. I'll wake you up in a few hours."

A shake of head. Hands pushing against his chest.

"Don't want. You'll be gone again," came the slurred answer, voice thick with sleep.

Yumeto tightened his arms around his little brother, pressing a gentle kiss to his dark hair, then resting his own head against his younger brother's.

"I won't. I told you I'm not going anywhere. And this time, I intend to keep my promise. Get some sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up. Promise."

Ainosuke yawned again, unable to hold on any longer and finally succumbed to slumber.

But just before he totally drifted to dreamland, he managed to get a message past his mouth to his older brother. Said older brother's face lit up and a please smile blossomed on his lips. Closing his eyes to follow the younger's example, he echoed the words to his already sleeping brother.

"I miss you too."


	14. Beginning of A New Life

k59 : i'm done~! finally:)! not that i don't enjoy writing this, but i think i finally get the relaxation, knowing that there's no one out there somewhere waiting for me to update.. i wanna thank you all who had been very patient with me and my inconstant update.. this story was meant to be short, but... well, u've seen for urself.. anyway, thank you n hope u enjoy it^^~

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special thx

to RyosukeYamada012 : u've been encouraging me all this while n really thank you for that.. i hope that this last chapter meet your expectation.. oh, n btw, i'll look forward to ur next story^^ thx for everything^^~

to Izzu :u're the 1 who pushed me to write a fanfiction, though i doubt u know it.. it was ur wonderful stories that did it:) though i know u seldom write in this fandom again, i really hope u'll finish 'Stay With Me' .. thank u^^~

to tsubasaquill n: ur comment really had me blushing each time.. really, it made my day n i can't thank u enough for it.. i know u're also a writer n a pro too at that.. i open ur lj acc n i was like 'oh God! she's brilliant!'.. sorry that i never comment coz i don't hav an lj acc n i haven't finished all ur stories too.. but, for all, thank you for supporting me^^~

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to Millenia-hime : it's ok.. i do that to someone too *point upwards*.. u're welcome^^.. n thank u too:)

to calileane : hi^^~ i thank u for choosing my story for u to read.. it's really make me glad.. it's nice, i think, to read straight after u finish watching.. like, the memory is still fresh.. about the 'end', i guess this is it.. n i hope that u'll like it.. again, thank u for reading^^~

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Epilogue – 'Beginning of A New Life'

xxx

xxx

"Well, all seems to be in order. You just need to sign here to finalize things and you're free to go."

Yumeto took the offered ballpoint and penned down his signature. He gathered the documents and, after giving the nurse in charge a pleasant smile, strolled off the direction where he had spent most of these last two weeks in.

"All right, Ainosuke. You can stop pouting now and…"

He had said as he slid the door open, but trailed off when he found the room completely empty. He sighed deeply before massaging his temple, muttering in exasperation as he did so.

"I knew leaving him alone was a bad idea."

"I agree whole-heartedly."

Yumeto was unable to smother his yelp of surprise and promptly spun around to the source of his almost-heart-attack. He frowned at the culprit amused smile and crossed his arms in front of his chest, face set in a mock serious expression.

"Kato-san, I would really appreciate if you could please stop trying to shorten my lifespan. That's Ainosuke's job. And I personally think he is doing a very good job at it as it is now without you contributing into the mix too."

The older man laughed pleasantly. It was such a cheerful laugh that Yumeto couldn't help but smile. Really, he had gotten soft.

"So," Kato said as he got his laughter in control, "what has that adorable brother of yours done this time?"

Yumeto quirked his eyebrow at the description used for his brother. _Adorable? Arduous is more like it._

Kato merely smirked to his direction as an answer to his unspoken query.

Sighing loudly, he replied, "See for yourself Kato-san." He moved to the side to give the police officer a way to see inside the room, gesturing with his hand.

The older man poked his head in and looked around for a while before straightening back up, "I didn't find anything unusual in there."

Yumeto resisted the urge to throw his arms up in exasperation.

"That's the point! You did not find! Did _not_! I feel like _I_ should be the one to actually handcuff _him_ to _me_! And… Why exactly are you smiling?"

Indeed, the police officer was currently showing off his front teeth like a cheshire cat. Is grin was so wide that Yumeto was amazed his face had not split in half yet.

"Are you his brother or are you his parent?"

Yumeto showed such indignation that if possible the smile on Kato's face grew even wider. He sighed and leaned back to the door frame, "The truth is I feel like both on some occasions." Kato raised his eyebrow at him and he added, with a bit of reluctance, "Okay, most of occasions."

Kato grinned, "Well, now that we got that settled," Yumeto threw him a look here and promptly rolled his eyes. "Where's Ainosuke, seriously?"

Yumeto sighed impatiently, "I'm being serious now when I'm telling you I have no idea. I left him here to get the documents done and when I got back he's not here anymore. Though, I don't see it to be quite so surprising since he's been pestering me to no end about how boring it was to stay in this room."

Kato chuckled at his friend's desperation and slung his arm around his shoulder.

"Then, we should look for him."

Yumeto sighed heavily and muttered under his breath as his ex-partner steered him away from the room, "We would be lucky if we can find him within this hour. And thanks be to God if we could actually catch him."

xxx

He knew that he shouldn't leave his hospital room. Really, he did. But it was just too much of a temptation to resist and – to his defense – he had spent two weeks in that room. Two long, boring weeks.

Okay, now he's being unfair. It was not _all_ boring. Thanks to his brother.

A smile graced his lips as his mind wondered to the time he had spent with his older brother.

It was a bit… awkward at first to him, to be honest – especially with the memory of his rather childish behavior when his brother came back still fresh in his mind. He could hardly look at his older brother without feeling his cheeks seared with heat. It did not help that every time his brother noticed this, the older would give him a fond smile and such a gentle look. If anything, he would blush even harder.

They had a lot of talking sessions within these two weeks. Mostly about how he felt during the whole ordeal and what did his brother actually thought and felt about what he did. Afterwards, the talked about the more recent events. He was rendered speechless when his brother said that he thought that he hallucinated his call in the airport. The conversation for that day ended quite abruptly when he refused to talk to his older brother, too irritated to care how immature his behavior was.

He felt his face getting warmer and groaned in frustration, placing his palms on his cheeks in hope to cool them down. He felt like a petulant little child now, thinking of how he had acted around his brother. No, maybe a spoiled brat would have been a more fitting description.

Deciding that thinking about it would only make his cheeks turned a several shades darker, he looked up to see where his feet had gotten him to. Even before he raised his head, he knew where he was. The delicious smell that came to his nose gave it away. He was in the cafeteria.

Now that his mind did not swirl around his brother, he realized how hungry he was. The plan was to get something to eat together then – much to the younger's dismay – get him a haircut. Seriously, of all the changes that he expected his older brother to notice about him, the length of his hair was the least on the list, if it was ever in it at all. He didn't know what to say – or think in that matter – when his brother told him this.

He promptly stopped his musing when his stomach growled unnecessarily loud as if to reprimand him. With a sigh, he started walking around to look for something to eat. Hopefully, his brother would have found him by then, because he did not have a single yen on him. He had just had an eye on one of the stall that adorned the sides of the cafeteria when someone on one of the seats caught his attention.

He walked silently to the figure. It was unexpectedly an easy thing to do, since the person seemed to be busy with something that clasped firmly between her hands.

"Sayama-sensei?"

The said woman jumped on her seats and he was forced to step back to avoid a nasty right hook coming his way. Still, despite his effort, he ended up falling backwards avoiding it. Fortunately, instead of falling flat on his back, he fell sitting on the floor.

_Note to self: don't ever surprise Sayama-sensei ever again if you still value your life._

"Ainosuke! Oh, Ainosuke, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you and you surprised me and I was just… Are you alright? Here, let me help you."

He took the offered hand and used it to haul himself up.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. What got you attention so entirely that you didn't…"

He trailed off as he caught a good glance at what her teacher had been clutching. It was a video camera. His eyes widened and his cheeks once again flushed when the scene that was so very familiar to him played right in front his eyes. Literally.

"H-How did you…"

He stuttered and turned to the school nurse, who hid the video camera behind her right away and looked anywhere but him guiltily. His eyes narrowed as he realized what had happened.

"Sayama-sensei…"

The called nurse took a step backwards as if sensing the upcoming outburst.

"Please tell me that you did _not_ spy on me and my brother. And _please_ tell me that you absolutely did _not_ have it recorded!"

Sayama fiddle with her hands and gave him a sheepish look.

"Well… You see, I kind of can't tell you that… Since, I… kind of.. have done just that…?"

Okay, if his cheeks were pink before, he was sure they were now as red as strawberry. It was bad enough that his brother had seen this childish side of him, now his teacher too?

"Sensei!"

"It was such a good opportunity."

She had started to back away and now finally turned fully to run from her flustered but annoyed student. He gaped at her retreating form for a moment before chasing her with all his will.

"Sensei! Get back here and give me that video cam!"

He shouted as he ran after her around the cafeteria, unaware of the amused looks that were thrown their way.

"Sorry, my dear student, but that is so not happening!"

He almost whined at her, but thought better of it and just concentrated in getting that device in his teacher's hand. So focused was he on his task that he didn't notice two figures entered the cafeteria a few minutes after the started their cat-and-mouse chase. In fact it was not until the video camera snatched away from her hand – for Sayama's case – and warm arms wrapped around his middle, effectively preventing him from darting away – for Ainosuke's case – that they took notice of the two men.

"And what are you thinking you're doing? You've just been released from bed rest this morning!"

Ainosuke turned around to face his captor and a big grin appeared on his face. Suddenly feeling mischievous, he threw his arms around his brother's waist. He could just picture his older brother's incredulous expression as he exchanged worried glance with the other two adults. Smiling as he felt the arms around him shifted to holding him around his shoulders and the other hand firmly placed itself at the back of his head, he snuggled closer.

"Okay… What happened?"

"I think I know what this is all about."

Ainosuke looked up to see Kato holding the video camera that he had been trying to get from his teacher. He watched silently as the police officer gave Sayama a disbelieving look. The school nurse smiled sheepishly at him in return. Kato shook his head and turned his head to look at him.

"I suppose you find out about this, right, Ainosuke-kun?"

He smiled brightly from his place in his brother's arms, "You can say that."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt his brother pushed him away, though not ungently. Brown eyes gazed questioningly at his, waiting for explanation. He felt the familiar warmth creeping into his cheeks and he groaned in exasperation, hiding his face on the crook of his brother's neck.

"It concerns a certain talk with a certain older brother that happened about two weeks ago…?"

By the tightening of the arms around him, he was sure that his older brother had noticed which event he was talking about. After all, his brother was not called a genius for nothing. But the words that his older brother said were beyond anything that he expected.

"Can I have a copy of that?"

He started and pushed himself away with a look of horror plastered on his face. "What?"

Yumeto smiled pleasantly at him, a hint of amusement and mischief twinkling in his eyes. As he continued to gape at the ex-crime planner that he called 'brother', the very same person draped an arm around his shoulder and laughed.

"What's wrong with that? Now I can really assure you that you did not dream that conversation."

Unsurprisingly, his cheeks flushed. Kato snorted uncharacteristically and Sayama burst out laughing only heightened the colour that decorating his cheeks. He did not doubt that they had seen the video.

"_Niichan!_"

"Hey…"

His eyes widened at the gentle tone his brother was directing at him. Brown eyes searching, wanting to know what his older brother had in store now.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you felt unsafe enough that you can't believe it to be reality at first. But I've said it and I'll say it again and again until it is ingrained in your mind. I'm not leaving you. Never. Alright?"

Ainosuke stared at his brother wide-eyes for a while before huffing.

"That comes from the person who thought that my voice in the airport was just imagination."

Yumeto chuckled, "Well, what do you expect? We're brothers after all. Come on." The arm around his shoulder gently steered him away, Sayama and Kato following directly behind them. "We're too far behind time and I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

He distinctively heard the police officer sighed behind them, but the position he was in prevented him from turning around to see the cause – not that he mind. Kato seemed to do that quite often these past months. Often enough that he thought nothing of it in particular. It was something that felt like a common occurence to him.

But that thought immediately flew his mind, as his brother – once again – surprise him by looking back and said:

"By the way, Sayama-sensei, I want the copy of this video you're taking now too."

~Owari~


End file.
